Rules

Article 1

An annual prize of 250.000 € is instituted with name « Francqui Prize ». This amount can be adapted by the board of directors.

The candidates have to be linked to a belgian academical institution (or equivalent*). From 2015, non Belgian people can be presented as candidates to the Francqui Prize if they fullfil following conditions :

Candidates must be linked to a Belgian academic institution (or equivalent*) since at least 10 years and must be involved in a permanent contract (or equivalent) in the institution at the moment of the presentation.

Francqui Prize is a prize rewarding the scientific quality of the works of the Laureat in order to support the development of his researches. Thus, promotors will provide in their folder indications concerning involvement of the candidate and his future in the heart of the Belgian scientific community.

*FNRS, FWO, VIB,… mandates

Francqui Prize cannot be split. Nevertheless, it can be awarded to two or more persons if the work is their common work and that no difference can be detected in the involvement by the jury.

The candidates cannot reach the age of 50 years at 1st January of the year of the award of the Prize (1).

Article 2

The Prize is reserved per annual shift to the following Science groups, in the order as follows :

Exact SciencesHuman SciencesBiological and Medical Sciences

A same candidate can be presented again only after 3 years.

Article 3

The following persons can present candidates to the Francqui Prize :

a) Two people, undersigning in common, each of them full members being owner member, correspondant, honorary member or associate, of one of the following academies :

The presentations are only valid if they come from specialists involved in an identical scientific branch or similar to the one from which the works of the proposed candicate emanate.

No request will be taken into account from persons introducing a reward for themselves.

Article 4

A owner of a Francqui Prize cannot be nominated a second time as candidate.

Article 5

Any request must be motivated and introduced with all the evidence requested documents.

Article 6

Applications must be addressed to the President of the Francqui Prize, rue d’Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels, at the latest by 15th of October.

Article 7

On proposal of the Managing Director, the Board of Directors nominate a foreign prestigious scientist as President of the Jury. The president of the Jury cannot be linked to a scientific establishment or a Belgian university at the time of the nomination of the candidates and the awarding of the Prize.

The designation of the President of the Jury occurs before the submission of applications.

Article 8

The President of the Jury, in consultation with the Managing Director, composes a jury in the scientific fields of the candidates. The jury is composed of minimum 8 and maximum 14 members.

The jury is composed exclusively of foreign scientifics not linked to a scientific establishment or a Belgian university at the time of the nomination of the candidates and the awarding of the Prize.

People who have nominated candidates cannot be part of the Jury.

The President of the Jury nominates within the members of the jury two reporters per candidate. They will report on the works of the candidate during the jury meeting.

In order to avoid conflicts of interest, the reporters cannot have professionally worked with the candidate.

Each member of the jury receives the files of each candidate.

The members of the jury can use external expert advise.

The Managing Director is present during the Jury deliberations, without having a deliberative or advisory voice.

Article 9

The members of the Jury vote in secret ballots.

A candidate who obtains at one of the three first rounds of the election, the absolute majority, it is to say half of the voices plus one, is proposed as Laureate. If no candidate obtains such a majority a the third round, a forth and last round is organized, the relative majority being then recognized as sufficient.

In case of an ex aequo during this fourth round , a new vote is organized, only taking into account the candidates who obtained the larger number of voices. If this vote remains unclear, the voice of the President of the Jury will be the relevant one.

No present member is allowed not to vote.

Article 10

The Jury meets in Brussels, preferably in April and proposes the Laureate of the Prize to the Board of Directors.

Article 11

The members of the Jury receive an allowance determined by the Board. Moreover, the Francqui Foundation will bear their travel and subsistence expenses.

Article 12

The Board of Directors will decide the awarding or not of the Francqui Prize through maximum three rounds and the majority of two thirds of the present or represented members.

The vote is secret, twelve Directors at least have to take part into the vote.

The decision of the Board is publically released during the month of July at the latest.

Article 13

The amount of a non awarded prize retuns to the Foundation.

Article 14

The presentations, reports and proposals related to the awarding of the Francqui Prizes cannot be released or published.

The Jury will nevertheless write a short report presenting its conclusions. This report can be submitted by the Foundation to the press, without revealing the names of the present candidates.

* * *

(1) If they reach 50 years on 1st of January, at the latest, their application can be accepted.

(2) In principle, this non profit Institution (University, Institute, Centre or Unit) should be located in Belgium.